Book Review: Yoga and the Body of Christ, by Dave Hunt

The following book review was written by a member of our congregation. The views presented here are solely those of the reviewer and may or may not align with the views of other members.

Reviewer

S. A. Owens

Comments

• This review will simply be a collection of quotes taken from the book itself. The author expresses the dangers associated with anything involving any form of yoga far better than this reviewer could ever express.
• "Not many Westerners would become involved in yoga if they knew that it lies at the heart of the religion of Hinduism and its goal is simply to ‘realize’ that one is a god, fulfilling the Serpent’s lie to Eve." (pg 87)
• "...Hatha Yoga is alleged to be purely for physical fitness and devoid of the mysticism involved in other yogas. Such a claim is clearly false. Yoga is yoga, and all of the positions and breathing exercises are specifically designed for yoking with Brahman, the universal All of Hinduism. If the goal is physical fitness, one should adopt an exercise program developed for that purpose, not for one designed for reaching godhood in moksha." (pg. 92)
• "...Eastern meditation associated with yoga ... involves ceasing to think and emptying the mind. It opens the door to demonic possession." (pg 119)
• "The Bible refers to eating or feeding upon God’s Word. ... to feed, or meditate, upon God’s Word means to think deeply about it in an effort to understand and gain greater insights. But in Eastern meditation, one is forbidden to think. The mind must become blank. Calling that ‘meditation’ introduces a new meaning for a common word. The switch has been made and the West has taken the bait." (pg. 151)
• "They have managed to sell Hinduism packaged as health, physical fitness, and enlightenment." (pg.98)
• "We have shown that yoga is in the fullest possible opposition to the Bible." (pg. 170)

Recommendation

• This book is a must read for anyone who has participated in (or even considered participating in) any program that involves yoga — whether it be a weight loss program, physical fitness program, flexibility training or any other reason.
• This book is also a must read (especially Chapter 8) for Christians who have "been sold" on accepting New Age practices permeating most denominations as well as the New Testament Church. Those practices include such things as Contemplatative Prayer, Lectio Divina, Breath Prayer, Visualization, Mysticism, and even a form of "meditation" that is far different than the "meditation" on God’s Word that is spoken of in the Bible (Ps. 119:15, 23, 48, 148 and I Tim. 4:15 KJV).
• Highly recommended if one is inclined in any way to believe that yoga in any form is a harmless exercise.